This invention pertains to the art of flow regulating devices and, more particularly, to a selectively adjustable, automatic flow regulating device.
The invention is particularly applicable to a flow regulating device for regulating the flow of a fluid such as oil or gas through a pipe line in the natural gas and oil industry. However, it will be appreciated to those skilled in the art that the invention could be readily adapted for use in other environments as, for example, where similar flow regulating devices are employed to regulate other types of fluid or gaseous flow.
Automatic fluid flow control device for regulating the flow of gas and oil from a well have primarily been concerned with regulating the ratio of oil and gas in a flowing or pumping well. Such devices are of limited usefulness in automatically regulating flow from a well which is alternately and automatically opened and closed. In particular, it has been found that when a closed well is initially opened, a high pressure peak of flow issues from the well. Such high pressure peaks with an associated high velocity flow, usually exceed the capabilities of measuring apparatus used to measure the flow from the well. That portion of flow associated with the pressure peak which is not precisely measured is, thus, lost to the owner of the well in the usual situation where the owner is selling the well production to an oil or gas company.
The present invention contemplates a new and improved adjustable choke for regulating the fluid flow through a pipe line prior to the encounter with the measuring device. The invention overcomes the problems of unmeasured flow from a well and others, to provide a new, adjustable choke which is simple in design, economical to manufacture, readily adaptable to a plurality of flow regulating uses in pipe line environments having a variety of dimensional characteristics, easy to install, easy to remove, and which provides improved, automatic flow regulation.